


After-math

by Mahfiruz



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:09:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27686051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mahfiruz/pseuds/Mahfiruz
Summary: The war is over; the Malfoys make their way through the castle and through the aftermath.
Relationships: lucissa - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	After-math

“Mum,” a voice called, “Mum.”

She saw a girl lying there in a puddle of her own blood. 

“Mum,” She said in a fainter voice. Narcissa took hold of the girl's hand.

“I’m here,” she said, “I’m here, my dear.”

A smile appeared on the girl’s face. Just before it froze. Narcissa closed the girl’s eyes.

Narcissa checked every body she saw along the way for a pulse; she closed so many eyes. Too many.

“You should keep going,” She said to her family, "you don’t need to see this"

She started checking the first of four bodies lying in the corridor

“No,” Draco said. And he went to the third one, then the fourth.

“Mum, this one’s alive!” Draco exclaimed and Narcissa dashed over to the body of a young boy.

She went to her pocket but remembered that her son had lost her wand. She began looking through the rubble around him for a wand. Lucius rushed over to her with one having done the same. Began doing basic stabilizing procedures, but he would need further treatment and quickly.

“I can’t - he needs - I don’t have the stuff for what he needs.”

“I’ll take him down to the great hall,” said Lucius, “You continue to check them.”

They continued to search the bodies.

“Mum!” Draco called to her. 

Narcissa ran over and checked the body.

“Will she be okay?” he asked.

“Looks like they were knocked out by blunt force to the head,” Narcissa said as she continued examining the girl for internal bleeding.

“Can you help them?”

“It shouldn’t be damaging.”

“So there’s nothing we can do?”

“No, there is an elixir called Concuss that can help reduce the chances - Draco!” she called after her son who was now running down the corridor.

“Continue checking them, mum. I’m going to get help.”

Lucius and Draco arrived at the great hall within seconds of each other and delivered their respective tasks to the healers. Panting Lucius grabbed his son and pulled him into an embrace.

Narcissa had trained as a healer, but only really practiced among her community of pureblood peers. The first wizarding war, then her daughters death, kept her from the hospital. Perhaps if she had worked at St. Mungo’s she would have learned that “pure” or not, all blood looks the same and is just as precious. As she worked beside the other healers in the corridors then the great hall, her concerns over blood were simply that it was spilling out, inside or outside of the body.

Soon all the patients were stable and still, and the urgency was gone. Groups of healers would go over to the tables for coffee or pumpkin juice. The weight of what had happened dawning on them again as they sat there off-duty. Narcissa made her way over to her family. They sat there for a while huddled together, Narcissa holding the hands of her husband and son, unsure of what to do. They didn’t dare to grab any food from the tables. No one noticed them, though. No one cared that they were there. Eventually, Kingsley Shacklebolt made his way over to them. 

“Potter, told us what happened back in the forest,” He said to Narcissa, “That and your work with the injured should clear you of any charges that could be put forth. We haven’t completed all charges and policies regarding, death eaters but there are existing ones that would apply to Mr. and Master Malfoy.”

“You’re not throwing my family in the dementor-ruled hell you justify as a prison!” Narcissa exclaimed, “My sister was haunted by that place since - where’s my sister, do you have her?”

“Your sister is dead,” Kingsley told her.

Narcissa, was silent. She felt her husbands arms wrap around her and her son take her hand.

“She was killed in the battle. It was a quick death, she did not suffer,” He added. _Was it wrong to feel bad for her, her sister was a war criminal after all? Was it insulting to the victims of the voldemort and death eaters to have empathy for her grief?_ One might ask these questions in discussion, but looking at Narcissa, all he saw was the pale shadow of grief freezing her, her face slowly crumbling to where tears were running down her cheeks. How to answer such questions one does not know, all knew was there was a grieving woman before him and he had come to appeal to the Malfoy’s humanity, to collaborate in order to keep from further violence ensuing.

“My condolences, Mrs. Malfoy,” Kingsley added before proceeding, “We fear further violence and destruction will occur at the hands of his followers. We would like your help, and are prepared to drop or reduce charges in return for it.”

Lucius looked at his crying wife then his son who was also looking at him.

“What do you need us to do,” Lucius and Draco said at the same time.

They walked over to some aurors and Order members at a table who were compiling lists. 

Narcissa drifted back into the conversation as she heard the names being given.

“What are you going to do to them?” Narcissa blurted out.

There was a certain surprise and silence.

“Azkaban haunted my sister,” Narcissa’s voice started to break, “until her dying day. She was pregnant and had a stillbirth in prison. The baby was born dead due to the conditions!”

“We don’t plan on reinstating the dementors,” Kingsley said.

“Still, these people have children and lives!”

“So, did the people they killed!” An auror said, “They made their choice!”

“Mrs. Malfoy for the sake of preventing further violence and the charges against your family, I ask you to cooperate,” Kingsley said.”

Narcissa stormed off.

“Narcissa!” Lucius called running after her.

Narcissa accepted the embrace, crying in her husband's arms.

“Do what they ask,” She said, before pushing away, “And for merlin’s sake make sure Draco does!”

“Where are you going?” He asked.

“I want to see my sister.”

“Are you sure, do you want to wait so I can go with you?”

“ . . . Okay.”

They went back and told the aurors everything. Issues of whether certain people were among the dead came up and they were asked to identify dead followers.

They walked over to where the unidentified death eater bodies were, Narcissa holding her sons hand and her husbands as they examined the dead.

Narcissa found her sister’s body. It was so still; an empty shell. But Narcissa didn’t want to look away, she knew her sister was gone, she knew, but the thought of burying or burning her seemed so final. The last person who remembered their mother, their childhood. Who understood her in that special way that a sibling can. There was a smile on her face; that mad smile she had worn. The smile showed the lines on her face, only 47, she had only lived to 47. And had spent almost a third of that time behind bars. She had just gotten out. She felt she should close her eyes, but once she did she would never see them again.

“She lied for me,” Narcissa found herself saying to no one in particular, although everyone around was listening, “To the dark - to Voldemort. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about Draco being assigned to kill Dumbledore, but I went to Severus for help. I disobeyed a direct order. And she didn’t tell. She knew the Dark Lord was skilled at reading minds, skilled at torturing, wrathful. She didn’t rat me out though, she kept it secret.”

“Because she loved you,” Lucius said, wrapping his arm around hers, “More than the Dark Lord. More than anything, Narcissa.”

“Then why did she leave me!” Narcissa finally let out with a sob. She turned and cried on her husband's shoulder.

She straightened up and wiped her face.

“Do I have to deal with the body now,” She asked the auror.

“No,” he replied, “ . . . There’s no rush.”

They continued identifying the rest of the bodies.

“That’s Adrian Nott,” Lucius said pointing to what had been a young man in his thirties, “That’s Aoife Fawley, and those two are Christina and Sam Rowle.”

“They all have kids,” Narcissa said, “Merlin’s beard, the Rowle and Nott kids are orphans now, and if Michael Fawley fled then his kids are alone too.”

Narcissa turned to the auror, “Do you have a camera, I want to take a picture of my sister before I destroy the body? I want something to remember what she looked like. If you don’t mind. Please.”

“There should be one in the great hall,” he replied.

They headed back to the great hall. Narcissa all of a sudden felt the room start turning and her vision darken.

“Narcissa! Narcissa!” Lucius yelled holding her unconscious body.

“I’ll get someone,” The auror said, darting off to where the healers were.

After a minute or so Narcissa opened her eyes, looking up at her husband and son's scared faces.

“What just happened?” She asked.

“You fainted, my dear. Are you alright?” Lucius asked her.

“ I -” Narcissa stopped feeling a pressure in her throat. She rolled out of her husband's arms and started retching up bile. Lucius rubbed her back, looking around for help.

“She - she fainted all of sudden, she just woke up and now she’s retching,” Draco told Madam Pompfrey who had just come over.

“Oh,” Narcissa said softly as a realization dawned on her, “oh.”

It had never happened to her before, and it was a rare symptom in general. Stereotyped but rare. But it felt like too much of a coincidence to ignore. No it wasn’t wasn’t like she was . . . Wait! Was she? Was she late? Narcissa wasn’t sure, having a tyrannical evil overlord in your house was kind of distracting. 

_No, no_ , she thought, _do not get ahead of yourself_ . It will only make things worse. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. More crushed hopes, more guilt, more pain. _No_ , she had to keep it together, for all she knew it was a coincidence. That thought was like an echo ringing around in emptiness. _Keep it together!_

“Sorry to make a fuss,” Narcissa said, to everyone as she pushed back onto her knees and wiped her mouth. She moved to stand up.

But Draco, Lucius, the auror, and Madam Pompfrey all reacted against it, letting out a startled exclamation and moving towards her. 

“Woah, easy, Mrs. Malfoy,” said Madam Pompfrey. Narcissa didn’t like to make a fuss. And it felt wrong to receive such mercy from former enemies. 

Madam Pompfrey looked around, both Lucius and Draco were looking at her with a certain desperation in their eyes. 

“She didn’t hit her head, did she?” Madam Pompfrey asked.

“No, I caught her,” Lucius replied.

“I appreciate you coming, Madam Pompfrey, but there's a good chance it could just be stress. If further symptoms arise I’ll get help, but you don’t need to tend to me. I -”

“Nonsense, Ms. Black - I mean Mrs. Malfoy,” Madam Pompfrey replied, examining Narcissa’s eyes, “Have you really not gotten any better at being a patient since you were a student.”

They were making their way back to the great hall when Narcissa caught sight of a face that was hauntingly familiar. It took her a second to realize who it truly was, and in that time the woman had seen her as well.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Andromeda asked, her eyes bloodshot and cheeks wet.

“I - we - I saved Harry Potter, back in the woods . . . we’re helping you guys- we’re helping capture the other death eaters,” Narcissa replied.

“Oh,” Andromeda said, a little surprised by the information, “Oh really?”

The way she said it sounded so much like Bellatrix it caused fresh tears to pool in Narcissa’s eyes.

“Why the hell are you crying!” Andromeda screamed at her, “You’re not the one with a dead daughter!”

Andromeda took out her wand, and Narcissa felt Lucius grab her and pull her to the side shielding her and Draco with his body. A large crack appeared in the stone wall behind them, the spell just missing them.

“Mrs. Tonks, please!” Madame Pompfrey yelled rushing over to her. Narcissa saw Andromeda’s wand fly over to the auror and then felt her wand (she had been giving a spare by a healer) leave her hand as well.

“I DO NOT NEED A WAND TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF HER IF SHE EVER TRIES TO HARM MY FAMILY AGAIN!” Narcissa shouted.

Lucius wrapped his arms around his wife and tried to pull her away, back towards the great hall. People in the corridor and a few from the great hall had begun to watch.

“And not that you care, Andromeda!” Narcissa continued to yell between breaths, “But I do have a dead daughter! I’ve had a dead daughter for sixteen years!”

She stormed back into the great hall and over to the make-shift medical ward. Emotions flooding over her as she stared at the equipment bag. She felt her heart racing, and instinctively put her hand on her lower abdomen. She felt tears again rush to her eyes. 

“Wait here,” Lucius said to Draco as he went over to the medical ward.

Narcissa wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to control her breathing, she had to keep a level head. There were people around, people who did not particularly like them, and if she was indeed pregnant then she should try to stay calm. Now was not the time to cry.

“Narcissa,” Lucius said, going over to her.

“I’m sorry, I reacted that way,” She said, facing away from him “that wasn’t very diplomatic.”

“I can’t and don’t blame you," Lucius said gently.

“It’s sad that after all these years, I was still so - so . . . so pathetic around her. I shouldn’t care what she thinks or feels, she’s nothing to me.”

“Feelings aren’t always logical,” Lucius said moving towards her. Narcissa turned and accepted his open arms.

“I think . . . . I think I might be pregnant.”


End file.
